Street-car advertising apparatus.



BEE-5T AV AILABLE COPY? M. P. SMITH.

STREET OAR ADVERTISING AI'PARATUS,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1913.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

M P. SMITH.

STREET OAR ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION FILED AFR.10. 1M3. 1,080,728, Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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UNITED tiillrth PATENT MARTIN r. enters, on sat. LOUIS, MISSOURI, sssrenon T0 WELCOME r. swans, or

a ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

STREET-CAR ADVERTISING APPARATUS,

Patented Dec. 55. it

' Application filed April it), 1813. Serial No. 760,250.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Street-Car Advertising Apparatus, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure '1 is a sectionalview through the upper portion of a car which is equipped with an advertising apparatus of my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of the card-carrying frames within the housing. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken approximately on. the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevational view with parts in section and parts broken away of the means employed for returning the cardcarrying frames from one end oi the car to the other after said frames have passed through the advertising apparatus and been displayed through the openings therein,

said view being taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 1s a horizontalsection taken approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken approximately on the line 6-43 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail section taken approximately on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4. Fig. 8.

is a sectional view of the valve whichcontrols the inlet and outlet ofair to and from the fluid-pressure-actuated means which is utilized for effecting a return movement of the cards through the apparatus.

My invention relates generally to advertising apparatus, and more particularly to an advertising apparatus especially designed and adaptedfor use in street cars and like passenger transporting vehicles, although the apnaratus herein shown and described can, with slightstructural changes, be advantageously used for displaying advertising cards in railway stations, Waiting rooms, hotel lobbys andshow windows.

The principal objects of my invention are: first, to provide a simple, inexpensive. and easily operated advertising apparatus wherein a housing or container is provided with a Series ofopenings, spaced apart, and to ardn devices of this character; third, to vide simple means tor returning the di.

range for movement in said housing a series of ndependent, unattached card-carrying frames or members which are displayed through said openings; second, to provide means whereby the displa' members or frames are arranged in series behi d each opening in the housing, and to shift t front members of each series to the rear the next succeeding series, thereby doing away with the continuous display or panoraniic effect such is ordinarily obtained members to the starting point 2* 2r members'have been moved through the apparatus, and displayed through the ope ings therein, which means also reflects a movement of the front display member of each series to a. position in the rear ot' the next adjacent series,and fourth, to pro vide a comparatively simple structure ranged and constructed so as to take up coinparativcly little space within the car.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more t'ullvdescribed and claimed.

In the drawings I have illustrated my 'llil-- proved apparatus applied to a street car, and where such application is made. the apparatus is, positioned in the space immediately above the windows in. the side of the car.

Referring by numerals to the accon1panying drawings, 10 designates the side plate of the car and 11 the root sheet which extends irom said side plate up to the deck plate. Fixed to the side wall of the car immediately above the windows and in trout of the side plate 10 is a molding stri 12, and fixed to the upper edge thereof and spaced apart from the side plate 10 is a second molding strip 13. Fixed to the roof structure of the car immediately below the deck plate is a molding strip lit, from the lower edge of which projects inwardly and downwardly a narrow ledge or strip It will be understood that the molding strips 12, 13, Hand 15 extend from one end ofthe car to the other, thereby forming a compartment of suiiic'ient size to contain the operating parts of my improved advertising apparatus. i

Arranged between the strips 13 and 15 are], fixed panels 16, the same being suitably spaced apart to form openings 17, through which the advertising cards are displayed, and in practice I prefer to make these panels ltiiv'ith a Width equal to approximately half the length of one of the openings 17. These panels can be ornamented as desired to conform with the interior decorations of the car.

Arranged between the upper portions of the side plate 10 and molding strip 13 is a horizontally disposed plate 18, and fixed to the central portion of said plate and extending upward to the molding strip i l and parallel with the roof sheet 11 is a partition 19. The space between this partition and the panels 16 is occupied by the various sets of card'carrying frames which are, in

, turn, displayed through the openings 17, and.

the space between said partition and the roof sheet 11 is occupied by the cards which are being returned to the starting end of the apparatus. The, ends of this partition 19 do not extend all the Way to the ends of the car, sufficient space being left between the ends of the partition and the car ends for the movement of the cards from one compartment to the other.

Arranged a short distance below the plate 1.8 and fixed to the upper end of the molding strip 12 is a horizontally disposed plate 20, the outer edge of which terminates a short distance from the side plate 10. Journaled in suitable bearings on this plate and on the side plate 10 is a seriesot grooved rollers 21 arranged at suitable distances apart, and the upper portions of these rollers project through the space between the plates 10 and 20. Supported upon these grooved rollers 21 is a metal rail or bar 22 which extends practically the entire length of the apparatus, and pivotally mounted on the upper edges of said bar and arranged at suitable distances apart are dogs or pawls 23, the free ends of which are normally elevated by springs such as 24, which latter are fixed to the bar 22. These dogs or pawls move longitudinally with the bar 22 as the same is rcciprocated, and the forward upper ends of said dogs project upwardly through a slot E25 which is formed in the outer portion of the plate 18. These dogs are for the purpose of engaging the lower corners of the card-carrying frames at one end to move said "frames through the compartment between the partition 19 and roof sheet 11. Connected-to one end of this bar 28 is a flexible member 26 which passes over a suitably mounted pulley 27, and connected to said flexible number is a weight 28. W

Positioned within the housing immediately below the end of the bar 22 to which the flexible memberQfi is connected, and supported in any suitable manner is a cylinder 29 in which is arranged for operation a piston 30 having a piston rod 31 which is connected by means of a bracket 32 to the bar 22. The cylinder 25) is of such length that the piston operating therein has a stroke approximately equal to the length of one of the card-carrying frames plus the length of one of the panels 16. Positioned on the outer end of the cylinder 29 is a valve housing 33 having a nipple 34, to which is detachably connected one end of a fluidpressure supply pipe Formed in the housing is an axially arranged chamber 36, and intersecting the same and leading from the nipple 34 to the interior of the cylinder 29 is a port 37. Arranged for sliding movement in the chamber 36 is a tubular valve 38 provided on its inner end with a plug 39 having a head 40 which operates in the inner end of the chamber 36. This head is spaced a short distance from the inner end of the tubular valve 38. Formed in the inner end of the tubular valve 38 is a single aperture 41, which, when the valve has been moved inward to its limit of movement, registers with that portion of the port 37 which is between the chamber 36 and the chamber within the cylinder .29. Formed through the outer portion of the tubular valve 38 is a series of apertures 42. Fixed in the outer end of the tubular valve 38 is a short rod 43 which operates through a suitably fixed bearing 44, and mounted on the outer end of said tubular valve is a finger 45 which is adapted to be engaged by brackets 46 and 47, which latter are carried by the bar 22. The bracket 46 engages the finger 45 and moves the valve 38 inward when the bar 22 is moved in one direction under the influence of the piston 30, and the bracket 46 engages said finger to move the valve outward as the bar 22, is shifted by means of the weight 28. A port 48 is formed through the housing 33 at the inner end of the chamber 36 and permits air to enter and escape from the inner end of said chamber as the head 40 moves backward and forward therein.

Formed in the plate 18 near the front edge thereof and immediately to the rear of each opening 17 is a longitudinally extending slot 49, and one end of said slot is extended in an oblique direction toward the partition 19, asdesignated by 49', said oblique portion of the slot occupying a position behind the corresponding panel 16. Located immediately behind the panel and the oblique or tion of each slot is a wedge-shaped bloclz 50 which is for the purpose of guiding the forward ends of the card-carrying frames as they are shifted from one series to the next adjacent series.

Located on the plate '18 near the point where the oblique portion 49 of the slot joins the straight portion 49, is a transver sely disposed block 51 which is for the purpose of maintaining the rear card-carrying frames'in proper position during the time the front frame of each series is being;

shifted to a osition in the rear of the next adjacent series.

Pivotally connected to the bar 22 and arranged within the space between the partitions 18 and 20 a series ofrods such as 52, there being one of theserods for each of the slots 2:9. Pivotally mounted on the upper edge of the free end of each rod 52 is a dog.

or pawl 53-, the free end of which is normally elevated by means of a spring 5%,

which latter is fixed to the rod 52, said dog or pawl normally projecting through the corresponding slot 49, and be ing adapted to engage the end of the front upward frame of a series to move said frame in the next ad acent series as the bar 22 1S shifted lengthwise 1n the proper direction. Fixed to the partition 19 hn the front face thereof and near the top and bottom edges thereof to the rear of each opening 17 is a series of parting pressure to the frames as they arev moved into position immediately behind said left hand opening so that said frames are forced rearwardly through the corresponding opening into the compartment between the partition 19 and roof sheet 11. Springs 57 are arranged on the inner side of the roof sheet to the rear of the right hand one of the openings 17 for the purpose of forcing the card-carrying frames forwardly through the opening between the right hand end of the partition 1.9 and the adjacent car end so that said frames will he successively moved into the compartment in front of the partition 19.

The card-carrying frames utilized in my improved apparatus are rectangular frames 58 of wood or metal, the same being grooved or constructed so as'to receive the edges of advertising cards 59. The space in a car between the-upper ends of the windows and the deck usually curved in cross section and conseqnently my improved apparatus and the card-carrying frames are necessarily curved to conform to the cross sectional shape of the space between the windows and deck.

The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows: The movement of the bar 22 toward the right hand under the influence of the weight 28 causes the bracket at? to engage the finger 45 and move the valve and parts carried thereby into the position. seen in Fig. 8. Wh so positioned thepiston 30 is at the right hand end of the cylin-c der 29, and the paWls or dogs 53 carried by .thefreeends of the rods 52 are positioned .24 and ride along at the right hand ends of the slots 4:9 immediately against the corresponding lower ends of the frontframes of each series. Fluid pressure from the supply pipe passes through the nipple 3a through that portion of the chamber 36 between the inner end of the valve 88 and the head 4-0, thence through port 37 into the cylinder 29, and as a result, the piston is moved to the opposite end of said cylinder, and consequently the bar 22 is moved a corresponding distance in the same direction. During this movement the dogs 53 in engagement with. the front frames of each series move said front frames toward the left hand and the forward ends of said frames are guided rearwardly by the front frames the frames immediately to the rear of tl e shifted frames are held against longitudinal movement with the shifted frames by the transverse strips 51, against which the ends of the rear frames engage. The frames of each series are normally forced forward by the springs 55, and thus suflicient spaceis maintained to the rear of each series of frames'for the shifted frames, which latter are transferred from their positions in the front of eachseries to positions in the rear of the next adjacent series. During the latter part of the shiftmg movement f the bar 22 the pawls 53traverse the oblique portions 49 of t-he slots, and thus said pawls are maintained in engagement with the shifted frames until the same are in position in the rear of the series to which they have just been shifted. I

Just prior to the time the piston 30 reaches its limit of movement toward the left hand of the cylinder 29, the bracket 46 engages the finger 4.5, thereby moving the valve 38 inward, consequently cutting off the passage of fluid pressure through the port 37, and such movement brings the port all into coincidence with that portion of the port 37 between the chamber 6 and the interior of the cylinder 29. The air confined within the ind-er 29 behind the piston 30 will now escape tln-ongh ports 87 and 4.110 the interior of the valve 88, and from thence to the atmosphere through ports 1-2, and the weight 28 which was elevated during the movement of the bar toward the left-hand will now descend, thereby drawing the bar 22 toward the right hand, during which movement the pawls .23 carried by said bar engage against the lower left hand corners of the frames in the comparti'nent to the rear of the partition l9, and said frames Will be shifted a distance equal to their length toward the right hand. During'the movement of the bar 22 toward the left hand the pawls swing downward against the resistance offered by the springs beneath the lower edges of the frames to the rear of the partition 19, and during the movement of the bar 22 toward the ri ht handmnder the influence of the weig t 28, the awls 53 will swing downward against t e resistance offered by their springs 54 and ride beneath the lower ed esof the front frames of each series until t ey reach the right hand ends of the slots 49, and then said pawls 53 will be moved upward and engage the lower right hand corners of the front frames of each series. i

It will be noted. that in my improved apparatus the front frames of each series are transferred to positions in the rear of the next adjacent series, with the exception of the transfer made at the left hand end of a the apparatus wherein the same frame is displayed twice, for in transferring the frames from the next to the last series at the left hand end of the apparatus to the last series, the front. frame is shifted to a position in front of the left hand series, which rocedure is necessary in order to bring a out a proper movement of the frames through the opening at the left hand end of the partition 19, so that the frames can be successively delivered to the compartment to the rear of said partition where they are engaged by the pawls 23 and intermittently movedto the right hand end of the apparatus.

By my improved advertising construction the capacity of the apparatus is materially increased over an apparatus utilizing a denble row of moving frames, and furthermore, the panoramic or contiguous view effect is done away with by the arrangement of the alternate openings and panels. The apparatus will necessarily attract attention by reason of the shifting frames, and a person looking at a frame moving away from one opening, will naturally look for said frame in the next adjacentopening, but by arranging the frames in series, the same frame will not appear through successive openings, except as hereinbefore stated, at the left hand end of the apparatus.

My improved apparatus is comparatively simple, very compact, and is easily and cheaply operated. a

It is obvious that various changes in structural detail and modifications can be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of whi"h is set forth in the appended claims. p

I claim:

1. In an advertising apparatus of the class described, a wall provided with a series of openings, a plurality of displa members arranged in series behind eac opening, and means for shifting the front display member of each series to a position in the rear of the next adjacent series.

2. In an advertising apparatus of the clasl described,'a wall provided with aseries of openings, a plurality of display members arranged in series behind each opening, means for shifting the front display member of each series to aposition in the rear of the next adjacent series, and means for transferring the display members from the series at one end of the apparatus o the series at the other end.

. In an advertising apparatus of the class described, a wall provided with a series of openings, a plurality of display members arranged behind the wall with a display members from the series at one end of the apparatus to the series at the other end.

5. In an advertising apparatus of the class described, a wall provided with a series of openings, a

lurality of display members arranged beh nd the wall with a series opposite each opening therein, a'member arranged for reciprocation behind the wall, and means connected to said recipro eating member for engaging and shifting the front display member of each series to a position in the rear of the next adjacent series.

6. In an advertising apparatus of the class described, a Wall provided with a series of openings, a plurality of display members arranged behind the wall with a series opposite each opening therein, a member arranged for reciprocation behind the wall, means connected to said reciprocating member for engaging and shifting the front display member of each series to a position in the rear, of the next adjacent series, and means on said reciprocating member for transferring the display members from the series at one end of the apparatus to the series at the other end.

7. In an advertising apparatus, a plurality of independent unattached display members arranged in series, which series are spaced apart, and means for shifting the front display member of each series to a position in the rear of the next adjacent series.

8. In an advertising apparatus, a plurality of independent unattached display members arranged in series, which series are spaced'apart, means for shifting the front means for transferring the display members from the series at on end to the series at the opposite end.

9. in an advertising apparatus of the class described, a housing provided with a. series of spaced panels on one side, a plural it) of display members within the housing, which display members are arranged in series with a series opposite each opening b.e-

tween an adjacent pair of panels, and means for shifting the front display member of each series to a position in the rear of the nextadjaeent series.

10. In an advertising apparatus of the class described. ahousing provided with a series of spaced panels on one side, a plurality of display members within the housing, which disp ay members are arranged in series with a series opposite each opening between an adjacent pair of panels. means for shitting the front display member of each series to av position in the r P211 ol the nextadjacent series. and means for trans fer-ring the display members from the series at one end of the housing to tie series at the other end.

'11. In an :nlvertisin; apparatus of the class described. a housing having a series of openings, a plurality of display members arranged in series behind each opening. a member arranged for reciprocation adiacent to the housing. means for reciprocatu-ig said member, means cooperating with said reciprm-ating member for engaging and shifting the trout. display member of each series to a position in the rear of the next adjacent series, and means on said member for engaging and transferring the display members from the series at. one end of the apparatus to th series at the other end.

tzf. in an advertising apparatus ot' the class described,ahousing having a series of penings,'a plurality of display members arranged in series behind each opening, a member adapted to be rcciprtarated, fluid-pres sureaictuattal means for moving said mcmher in one direction, gravity means for moving said memberin a reverse direction,

means cooperating with said reciprocating member for engaging and shifting the front display member of each series to a position in the rear of the next adjacent series, and means on said reciprocating member for transferring the display members from the series at one end of the apparatus to the series at the other.

13. In an apparatus of the class described. the combination with a suitable support and a plurality oi display members arranged for movement on said support, of means for shifting said display members, which means comprises a reeim-ocating member. devices thereon 'for engagir 'ie display members when the same are moved in one direction, a series of members connected to the reciprocating member. and devices mounted on said members for engaging and moving the dis play members in a direction opposite to that in which said members are moved when engaged by the devices on the reciprocating member.

14. In anapparatus of the class described, the combination with a series of panels, the same being spaced apart. of a plurality of display members, arranged in series behind the spaces between said panels, and means for successively engaging and shifting the front display member of each series to a position in the rear of the next adjacent series.

In testimony whereof I. hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this Tth day ot April, I913.

'l. Anonrn Bisnor, l\l. A. llaxmsn. 

